Stephen Lang Has an Insane Pitch for His ‘Avatar 4’ Return (Exclusive)

The cast and crew of the Avatar universe just gave an update on what could come after the events of Avatar: Fire and Ash—and star Stephen Lang’s pitch for his franchise return is certainly out of this world.

Men’s Journal spoke with stars Lang and Oona Chaplin, as well as executive producer Rae Sanchini, for the digital release of the third film earlier this week. Talk, however, turned to the future of the franchise, as fans wait for an official announcement from director James Cameron.

Cameron has said the fate of his planned fourth and fifth films hinged on the box office returns of Fire and Ash. While the movie took in less than its predecessors, it still pulled in nearly $1.5 billion, with Sanchini confirming to Men’s Journal that they’re “forging ahead” with the next two sequels.

But what could those sequels look like? Here’s what Lang, Chaplin and Sanchini had to say.

Baby Quaritch on the Horizon?

Spoiler alert for anyone who hasn’t yet watched Avatar: Fire and Ash, but the movie ends with Claplin’s villainous Varang on the run and the fate of Lang’s Colonel Miles Quaritch left in the air—and left for dead— after a confrontation with Jake Sully’s family.

“She’s alive,” Chaplin confirmed of Varang, before Lang revealed how much they know about the plots of the next two films.

“Pretty clued in. Except, I’ll add this, [James Cameron] is on record as saying that he, in some ways, is going to be guided by audience reaction,” added Lang. “He’s going to take that into account. I suppose that could change things. He’s already indicated you can’t have too much Varang. And who knows about the Colonel.”

As the two baddies were seen in an intimate, naked embrace following one of the franchise’s "horniest” moments earlier in the film, there are many online who have speculated Varang could also be pregnant in the next sequel.

“There’s theories?!” Chaplin exclaimed upon hearing that development. “That’s great. I mean, come on, what kind of mutt would they have?”

That’s when Lang came through with quite a pitch for himself.

“If Sigourney can play a 14-year-old Kiri, I can play an infant Quaritch,” he told Men’s Journal. “There are people who say I’m rather infantile in the first place.”

Lang, of course, is referring to 76-year-old Sigourney Weaver providing the motion capture and voice for teenage character Kiri, who was born from the avatar of the actress’ Doctor Grace Augustine.

“It wouldn’t be far fetched,” quipped Chaplin.

More Details on the Future of Avatar

Also speaking with Men’s Journal, executive producer Rae Sanchini confirmed Cameron has already written the scripts for the fourth and fifth films.

“We are currently in the process of rebuilding our pipeline. We didn’t get a chance to do that between 2 and 3—they were made together, so our pipeline was built back in 2014-2015—so now we’re modernizing it, making it better, making it more efficient,” she said of the production workflow needed for this highly technical franchise.

“We’re working on that right now. Scheduling, budgeting,” she added, saying she’s most excited for fans to check out the 3+ hours of bonus content on the Fire and Ash digital release, so they can see how much work really goes into these films.

As for where the franchise could go next, Men’s Journal wondered whether Pandora has a tundra or ice-covered area to explore, after tackling the air, water, and fire in previous films.

“Those are all good ideas! Pandora’s a big place. It’s a moon, and it’s got all sorts of eco-systems and all sorts of creatures we haven't seen yet,” said Sanchini. “It’s been a real playground for Jim to explore as a filmmaker, as a creator, as a scientist. He loves building these ecosystems, what would have evolved, what eats what. How it all works. It’s been a lot of fun for him, and the fun continues.”

Avatar: Fire and Ash is available on Digital platforms now.